Johns Hopkins Live Near Your Work Grant

At a glance

Amount

$5,000 to $17,000 depending on the neighborhood, including $2,500 from Baltimore City

Type of help

Grant

Where

Baltimore City

Run by

Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Health System Benefits and Worklife, with the Baltimore City Office of Homeownership

First-time buyer

Repeat buyers welcome

Income limit

None

Price limit

Yes, see below

Homebuyer education

Required

How the grant works

Money you do not pay back, as long as you meet the program's stay-in-the-home terms.

• Monthly payment: None
• Forgiveness: Repay 100% if the home stops being your primary residence in years 1 to 3, 50% in year 4, 25% in year 5, nothing after 5 years
• When you would repay: Selling or moving out within 5 years of settlement, or failing to close within 60 days of the grant payment

Who qualifies

• Repeat buyers welcome. The Hopkins rules do not require first-time buyer status. Baltimore City must approve the city portion.
• Income. No income limit is published for the Hopkins grant. You must qualify for a fixed-rate mortgage from a federally insured lender.
• Price. No purchase price cap is published, but the mortgage loan amount cannot exceed $667,000.
• Participating employers: Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Johns Hopkins Community Physicians, Johns Hopkins Health System, Johns Hopkins Health Plans.
• Full-time, benefits-eligible employees of Johns Hopkins University or the Johns Hopkins Health System entities, on active payroll. No probationary period; a signed offer letter is enough to apply, but you must be an approved employee at settlement.
• Not eligible: part-time employees, intrastaff, residents, postdoctoral fellows, students, Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins Care at Home, and Kennedy Krieger (which runs its own LNYW program).
• Grant amounts by zone (2025 map): $17,000 in the HCPI and East Baltimore / Eager Park zone; $10,000 in Remington and Waverly for JHU employees ($5,000 for health system employees); $5,000 everywhere else inside the boundary. Each total includes the $2,500 city grant.
• Homeownership course plus a one-on-one counseling session with an approved Baltimore City agency, both completed before you sign a contract. Certificates are good for one year.
• At least $1,000 of your own money toward the purchase. Fixed-rate financing only; no cash purchases, adjustable-rate, interest-only or no-document loans, no prepayment penalties, no co-signers who do not live in the home.
• One grant per eligible address. Funds go only to down payment and closing costs.

How to apply

1. 1Before you make an offer, complete a homebuying course and a one-on-one counseling session with the same approved Baltimore City counseling agency. Signing a contract first forfeits eligibility.
2. 2Check the boundary map to confirm the home is inside a Live Near Your Work zone and note the grant amount for that zone.
3. 3Once you have a ratified contract, apply through the Neighborly portal (about 20 minutes) with your counseling certificate and contract. Use the application link that matches your Hopkins employer. Apply at least 30 days before settlement.
4. 4After Hopkins approves you, apply separately to Baltimore City's Live Near Your Work program using the employer verification letter Hopkins sends. Send Hopkins your conditional loan commitment and the city's approval letter.
5. 5Hopkins pays its grant through payroll direct deposit before settlement. The city's check is picked up by your lender for closing. Send Hopkins your final closing disclosure within 60 days.

Watch out for

• Counseling before contract is the rule that trips people up. Finish the class and the one-on-one session before you write an offer.
• The Hopkins portion is taxable income. On the $17,000 tier, Hopkins shows about $8,800 net from its $14,500 gross after withholding, plus the untaxed $2,500 city check.
• Funds are first come, first served and can be discontinued at any time. Approval is at the discretion of Hopkins and the city.
• Move out or sell within 5 years and you repay part or all of the grant. The schedule is 100% through year 3, 50% in year 4, 25% in year 5.
• Settlement must happen within 60 days of the grant payment or Hopkins can treat it as an overpayment and require full repayment.

Straight answers

Sources

• Johns Hopkins University HR: Live Near Your Work (eligibility, rules, zone amounts, how to apply) (read Sep 22, 2026)
• Johns Hopkins Medicine HR: Live Near Your Work (health system eligibility) (read Sep 22, 2026)
• Johns Hopkins Medicine HR: Live Near Your Work Important Details (repayment schedule, taxes, 60-day rule) (read Sep 22, 2026)
• JHU Hub 2026-04-15: Make Baltimore City your home, affordably (grants up to $17,000) (read Sep 22, 2026)

Program details are summarized from public sources and change without notice. Funding badges reflect the last time we checked, not a guarantee of availability. This is buyer education from a real estate agent, not a loan pre-approval or a commitment to lend. Eligibility is decided by each program administrator and your lender. Equal Housing Opportunity.